Chapter 22
Dora sat on a bench outside the front doors of Hogwarts, reading an advanced Defense against the Dark Arts book. Jenna sat next to her, her quill dancing across the parchment as she did her Herbology homework. After a long week of getting used to a new school with new teachers and new students, it was finally the weekend.
A giggle broke the early morning quiet. Looking up from her book, Dora scowled at the group of girls gathered not too far away, watching Harry as he jogged around the front lawn. Despite the cool air, he wore nothing but a pair of black cotton shorts and a maroon tank top that was damp with sweat. Each time he passed by the front doors, the girls tittered and chattered in hushed tones.
It irritated the hell out of Dora.
Even the Beauxbatons students ogled her boyfriend as they traipsed the path from the carriage to the Great Hall. She even caught Fleur giving him an appreciative glance, and when she realized she'd been caught, the busty blonde simply shrugged and smirked.
"Good morning."
Dora stopped glaring for a moment and looked up at Hermione.
"Morning," she grumbled.
"I didn't expect you to be up this early on a Saturday," Hermione said as she took a seat next to Jenna.
"Harry wants to go over some spells for the Tournament," Dora said.
"Where is he?" Hermione asked.
Sighing, Dora pointed.
"Oh."
"We'll practice after he's finished his run," Dora said, then turned and glared at the giggling girls. "If I can pry him away from his fan club."
"That's just Lavender," Hermione said dismissively. "She's always like that. It's why we don't get along much."
Dora grunted and crossed her arms over her chest as Harry came to a stop in front of them, panting heavily.
"Whaddya running for?" Ron asked.
Dora glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, brooms in hand.
"To stay in shape," Harry said, interlacing his hands on top of his head.
"What for?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose.
Grinning, Harry grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Dora huffed annoyedly even as she eyed his ripped abs and chiseled chest. Jenna hid her face behind her book, Hermione blushed, Fred and George wolf-whistled, the girls tittered, and Ron's ear went bright red.
"That is a very good reason," Angelina said, licking her lips.
While Fred huffed good-naturedly, Dora rolled her eyes, pulled a clean shirt from her back, and tossed it at Harry. Once he'd put it on, she stood up, pushed him onto the bench, and then planted herself firmly in his lap.
"Ew, you're all sweaty," she said, wrinkling her nose as his glistening arms wrapped around her waist.
With a smirk, Harry pulled her close and wiped his sweaty forehead all over her neck. Dora squealed and tried to push him away, but he was too strong.
"You jerk," she said, smacking his shoulder.
"Hey, if you get to mark your territory, I get to mark mine," he said with a crooked grin. "Any guy that gets near you is going to smell me… or think you have really bad BO. One of the two, but either way, I win."
Dora snorted, but couldn't stop a pleased smile from dancing across her lips. Giving him a quick kiss, she climbed off his lap.
"Ready to go train?" she asked.
"Yeah," Harry said, standing and waving to the Gryffindors as they left for the Quidditch Pitch. "We should get closer to the edge of the forest."
"Why don't you use one of the abandoned classrooms?" Hermione asked. "I can show you where they are."
"The spells I'm learning are too dangerous to practice in a classroom," Harry said, taking Dora's hand and walking away from the castle.
Hermione frowned and followed after them with Jenna right behind her, "If they're that dangerous, are you sure you should be learning them?"
"That's kind of the point," he shrugged. "Moody wants me to learn more powerful spells."
"Oh," Hermione said, looking less hesitant. "Do you mind if I watch?"
"Knock yourself out," Harry said.
As they reached the edge of the forest, a shadow passed overhead. A moment later, Lavina landed behind them and laid on the ground. Jenna and Hermione sat down and leaned against her large, feathery body for warmth.
"Right, so what's first?" Harry asked.
"Well," Dora said, opening her book, "to start with, we've got the Crushing Hex, the Lightning Curse, or the Binding Curse."
"Let's try the Crushing Hex," he said.
Dora flipped to the relevant page and held the book out so he could read it. After reading the incantation and memorizing the wand movement, Harry drew his wand, stepped closer to the forest, and picked a large tree as his target. He twisted his wand in a corkscrew motion and added a short thrust at the end.
"Commino!" he yelled.
A dull purple hex left his wand, impacting the tree trunk with a muffled thud. A few scraps of bark fell to the ground, and a couple of dead branches were shaken loose, but it wasn't nearly as impressive as he'd thought it would be.
"I think you started the incantation too late," Dora said. "You're supposed to finish it a moment before you finish the wand movement."
Harry sighed, "This is why I hate using verbal incantations," he muttered.
He repeated the wand movement, but this time, he used the incantation in his head. A bright, sizzling bolt of violet magic leapt from his wand. It slammed into the tree and reduced a three-foot-tall section of the trunk down to the thickness of a pencil with a loud crunch! Large shards of wood were sent flying several feet away. The tree teetered precariously for a moment before the pencil-wide section snapped with a loud crack, and the tree fell to the ground with a crash!
"Holy shit!" Harry laughed incredulously. "That was awesome! What's next?"
"We are so getting detention for this," Dora sighed, shaking her head as she reopened her book. "Let's try the Binding Curse."
Harry struggled with that spell much more. It took half an hour for him to get it to work at all, and even then, it was far from perfect. The spell was supposed to produce a thick iron chain that wrapped around the target and tightened the more it struggled. He could conjure the chain, but it didn't animate the way it was supposed to. It flew from his wand and slammed into the tree he was targeting, but always fell limply to the ground afterward. After an hour, they decided to move on and ask Flitwick for advice later.
"Alright," Dora said. "Let's move on to the Lightning Curse."
Harry read over the instructions quickly before stepping away from her and raising his wand. He poured his built-up frustration over the last hour as he whipped his wand forward with a slight waggle of the tip.
A searingly bright bolt of blue-white lightning arced from the tip of his wand with a thunderous crack and struck a tree standing what looked to Harry to be forty feet away. The main bolt blasted an inches-deep crater into the trunk while the fingers of lightning around it danced across the bark, causing it to sizzle and pop. As he blinked the stars out of his vision, he saw the edges of the bark had turned into glowing embers.
"Shit," he muttered. "Fire!"
Quickly, he and Dora doused the tree trunk with water.
"Well, that wasn't too bad," Harry said.
Levina clacked her beak derisively and glared at the tree. Harry and the girls jumped when a bolt from the blue struck the top of the tree and shattered it. He brought up a shield quickly to protect himself and Dora from the flying splinters while Levina used her back wing to cover Jenna and Hermione. Once the rain of wood had ended, Levina preened smugly.
"Show off," Harry grumbled.
"Bigger fire!" Dora yelled.
"Shit!"
Harry spent the rest of the weekend studying, finishing his homework, and mastering the spells he'd learned. On Monday morning, he had Charms class, where he talked about how he designed his brooms, and Professor Flitwick tasked the class with enchanting a toy broom by the end of the semester. Once class was over, he packed his bag slowly, waiting for the students to trickle out.
"Professor, do you have a minute?" Harry asked when the room was empty.
"Of course," Flitwick smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"I've been working on some spells for the Tournament, and I'm having trouble with the Binding Curse," Harry said.
"That's quite an advanced spell," Flitwick said. "What problems are you having?"
"Well, I can conjure the chains fine, but they don't wrap around things like they're supposed to. They just fall."
"Ah, I see," Flitwick nodded. "That's because the Binding Curse, unlike the Incarcerous Hex, requires constant focus."
"Really?" Harry asked. "It didn't say that in the book."
"That's not surprising. The texts that contain those spells are often above Newt level. They expect the reader to know the difference between an instantaneous and a continuous spell just by feel."
"How do you feel the difference?" Harry asked.
"Here," Flitwick said, summoning two pillows from a pile in the corner. "Banish the one on the left and focus on how you feel when you do it."
Drawing his wand, Harry banished the pillow against the wall, but he didn't really feel much of anything.
"Good, now levitate the other one, but don't hold it," Flitwick said. "Just cast the spell and let it go."
Harry did as he was instructed. The pillow levitated to waist height, and he released the spell. As the pillow fell to the floor, he felt a small but subtle difference to the Banishing Charm. He levitated the pillow again and let it fall. There was a small but continuous tug on his magic that he'd never consciously felt before, which stopped the moment he released the spell.
"Huh," he said. "I never noticed that before. Thanks, professor."
"My pleasure, Mr. Potter."
Bidding him farewell with a quick wave, Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way down to the Great Hall. It wasn't time for lunch yet, but he had a free period. He was thinking about grabbing a snack and going outside to practice the Binding Curse with his newly gained understanding of how it worked when he spotted Jenna, Ginny, and Luna working on their homework at the Ravenclaw table. Grinning, he plopped down heavily on the bench between Ginny and Jenna, facing backward, and rested his back against the table.
"Morning, ladies," he said, smiling charmingly. "Need any help?"
Ginny blushed heavily and hid her face behind her hair, Luna blinked and cocked her head to the side, and Jenna smiled.
"We're working on our Transfigurations homework," Jenna said. "McGonagall wants eight inches of parchment on turning hedgehogs into pin cushions by Friday. We're almost finished. Would you mind checking them over?"
"Sure," Harry shrugged.
"How did you get rid of your Wrackspurts?" Luna asked suddenly, cocking her head to the other side.
"Get rid of my what now?" Harry asked curiously.
"Wrackspurts," Luna repeated, blinking her wide blue eyes as she straightened her head. "They're invisible magical creatures that fly into your years and make your brain fuzzy."
"Huh," Harry said thoughtfully and shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe it's my cologne."
"I don't think so," she frowned. "Wrackspurts don't have noses."
"No one cares about your made-up creatures, Loony," Malfoy said as he swaggered over, accompanied, as always, by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Like your opinion," Harry said.
"Oh, you're going to care a lot about what I have to say, Potter," Malfoy smirked. "My father's close, personal friends with the Minister, you see. He told me in a letter this morning what the First Task is going-"
"Hold that thought."
Reaching to his left, Harry grabbed an apple out of the bowl of fruit and tossed it at Malfoy, who caught it confusedly.
"Start over and take a bite when you're done," Harry said. "It'll make you look like more of an asshole."
"What are you on about, Potter," he sneered. "Have you gone mental?"
"Look, Malfoy," Harry sighed. "If you're going to keep doing this whole evil arch-enemy thing, then I need you to at least try to look cool. I've got a reputation to protect here."
Fuming, Malfoy shoved the apple into Goyle's chest. The larger boy took it and stuffed it in his pocket.
"Are you even listening to me?" he growled. "I'm trying to tell you I know what the First Task is!"
"Really?" Harry asked, casually picking up another apple and polishing it on his shirt. "I doubt it."
"Are you calling me a liar, Potter?" Malfoy hissed.
"Well, yeah," Harry shrugged. "Tell you what. How 'bout we make a bet? You tell me what the First Task is, and if you're right, I'll pay you twenty Galleons."
Smiling, he propped his elbows on the table behind him.
Malfoy scoffed, "As if I'd fall for that."
"I could always beat it out of you," Harry said. "We both know I could out-duel you and your friends in my sleep."
He took a bite of the apple and smirked as he watched the blonde's cheek turn red. Malfoy aimed a finger angrily at Harry and opened his mouth to speak.
"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" Professor McGonagall asked, approaching quickly.
Harry swallowed and smiled.
"No, ma'am," he said. "Malfoy and I were just having a nice chat. We're actually getting along great."
Grinning, he took another bite. Malfoy's eye twitched.
"I see," McGonagall said skeptically as she glanced between the two of them. "Still, I think it would be best if Mr. Malfoy returned to his table."
She gave him a pointed look, and Malfoy spun on his heel with a huff. When he glanced back over his shoulder halfway to his table, Harry smiled and waved the fingers that weren't holding his apple mockingly. McGonagall sighed and continued on her way to the head table.
"He's right," Luna said to Ginny. "Eating an apple made him look most disagreeable."
Grinning at her, Harry took another bite.
Two days later, Harry was having dinner with his classmates, laughing at the twins' latest tale, when McGonagall stopped behind him.
"Mr. Potter," she said, getting his attention. "I need to see you in my office for a moment."
"What did he do?" Dora asked accusingly.
Harry raised his hands innocently.
"He's not in trouble," McGonagall said. "Madam Bones is arriving soon to talk to him about some broom tests he wanted to perform."
"Nice," Harry grinned, getting to his feet. "It's been so long I thought they were ignoring me."
"I doubt that's the case," McGonagall frowned. "Follow me."
He gave Dora a quick kiss on the cheek and ruffled Jenna's hair as he followed her out of the Great Hall. They walked in silence through the halls to her office on the second floor, just outside the Transfigurations Courtyard.
"Have a seat, Mr. Potter," she said as he looked around her office curiously. "Biscuit?"
She opened a tin full of cookies and offered them to him. Shrugging, Harry took one and popped it into his mouth.
"Ooh, those are good," he said, taking a second. "What are they?"
"Jammy Dodgers," McGonagall replied.
Harry nodded and made a mental note to ask Aunt Andi to send him some when the Floo suddenly flared to life. Stuffing the rest of the cookie in his mouth and wiping his hand on his pants, he watched as an older witch with a monocle over her right eye stepped into the office. She was a couple of inches shorter than Harry, with her dark red hair done in a tight bun similar to McGonagall's. Her black robes were plain, with the exception of the Ministry insignia embroidered over her left breast.
"Good evening, Amelia," McGonagall said. "Mr. Potter, this is Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Amelia, this is Harry Potter."
Amelia straightened her robes and approached him with her hand extended.
"Mr. Potter," she said. "Nice to finally meet you."
"Pleasure," Harry said around a mouthful of cookie and shook her hand.
Conjuring a plain, uncomfortable-looking wooden chair next to the desk, she took a seat, and Harry did the same.
"I apologize for the delay," Amelia sighed. "My office has been overworked and understaffed for the last few months. What sort of tests were you looking to perform?"
"I wanted to do some high-altitude test. See how high I can go," Harry said.
"And you can do that without alerting the Muggles?" Amelia asked.
Harry frowned, "No. I wouldn't bother asking for permission if I could do it without anyone finding out. Muggle radar is good enough that it can pick me up even if I'm under a Notice-Me-Not Charm."
"They've never spotted broom riders before," Amelia argued.
"That's because most brooms fly too low and slow to be picked up," Harry said. "Military radar is designed to pick up fast-moving objects even if they're as small as a broom."
"Alright," she said, pursing her lips. "How do the Americans keep you from being discovered?"
"They talk to the Muggle government and tell them to ignore it," Harry shrugged.
Amelia frowned and shared a look with McGonagall.
"I'll have to bring this up with the Minister," she said after a moment. "I'm not allowed to communicate with the Muggle Government."
"Really?" he asked, surprised.
"I'm surprised the Americans have such open communication with the Muggle government," McGonagall said. "I was under the impression they had more restrictions on secrecy than most countries."
"They do," Harry acknowledged. "But they pay Squibs to work with the Muggles. It keeps them from revealing the secret because they get two paychecks, and it keeps us up to date on what the Muggles are doing. It's hard to avoid them finding you if you don't know what they're up to."
"That's an interesting approach, but unfortunately, we don't have a system like that," Amelia said. "I'll talk to the Minister and see what we can do."
"Would it help if I asked Sirius to have MACUSA talk to him?" Harry asked.
"I don't think the Minister would appreciate that," Amelia frowned.
Harry grinned.
Three days later, he had permission to conduct his test flights on Saturday night between eight and midnight. On Friday, Harry took his latest broom to Flitwick for one last once-over before his flight. The Charms master gave him the all-clear, so on Saturday night, Harry and Dora quietly made their way to the top of the Astronomy Tower.
"Do you want to ride on the front or the back?" Harry asked.
"Front," Dora said.
Mounting the broom, he waved Dora over. She swung her leg over the handle and rested her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. A quick push off of the ground was all it took to begin their ascent. Harry spiraled upwards, steadily gaining speed as they rocketed through the low cloud cover and into the clear night sky. The stars winked at them against the black velvet background.
Harry leaned over Dora to check the watch strapped to the broom handle as he pushed the broom higher. As he watched the second hand tick clockwise, nearing the seven, Dora patted his arm.
"Harry, look," she said.
Harry looked over and smiled at the world below them.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.
"It's amazing," Dora said in awe. "You can even see the curvature of the Earth."
Grinning, Harry pushed his broom further until the second hand reached ten. It had reached one hundred thousand feet without issue. The climate and atmospheric Charms were holding perfectly.
"That's it? We did it?" Dora asked.
"Yup," Harry grinned. "We've officially flown higher than any other witches or wizards ever have."
"That's my man," she smirked.
Twisting around, she grabbed the back of his head and mashed their lips together. Harry kissed her back passionately for several seconds before she finally pulled away, lips swollen and cheeks flushed.
"So, what's next?" she asked.
Harry grinned and pointed up at the glowing, full moon hanging in the night sky.
"You want to go to the moon?" Dora asked incredulously.
"Eventually," he nodded. "I think it's time wizards and witches caught up with the Muggles, don't you?"
"Harry Potter, first wizard on the moon. It has a nice ring to it."
"I have a lot to figure out first, but maybe one day. Ready to head back?"
"Can we just fly around for a bit? This view is incredible."
Harry and Dora floated high above the Earth for a couple of hours before the time forced them to head back. Grinning, he gripped the broom tightly, nosed over, and flew down at top speed. Dora shrieked as they hurtled back towards the ground, reaching a top speed of Mach 6. When the ground began to grow a bit too large for comfort, he slowed to a leisurely speed and ghosted over the Forbidden Forest.
"What's that?" Dora asked, pointing to the right.
Harry looked and furrowed his brow when he spotted an orange, flickering light among the trees.
"Is that a fire?" she exclaimed.
"I don't know," he said.
Turning his broom, they flew closer, but Harry slowed to a crawl when he spotted human-shaped shadows dancing in the light. Six witches and wizards sat gathered around a fire. Nearby, there were just as many tents, and a little further than that were three enormous iron cages. Suddenly, a stream of fire spouted from one of the cages and lit up the entire clearing.
Dora gasped, and Harry grinned.
"Dragons."
Chapter 23
Harry and Dora took seats at the Gryffindor table, discussing plans to meet in the library after class to research dragons when Hermione suddenly rushed over and plopped down next to him.
"I got a perfect score on my Transfiguration exam!" she beamed excitedly.
"That's great," Harry smiled, patting her shoulder.
"I really need to thank you," she continued. "That tongue trick you showed me really helped."
Harry opened his mouth to tell her he was glad it helped but froze when he heard Dora's fork clatter loudly onto her plate. He turned slowly and met her furious glare, her hair spiky and bright red.
"Tongue trick?" she hissed dangerously, pinning Hermione with her stare. "What tongue trick?"
"Harry told me about how your tongue knows what something feels like," Hermione said, her head tilted in confusion. "It's really helped me picture objects in my mind. Was he not supposed to tell me?"
Harry smirked as Dora's hair went limp and the bright red color of her hair drained into her cheeks, leaving it light brown.
"Oh," she said awkwardly. "I thought you were talking about something else."
Hermione's brow furrowed, "What did you think I meant?" she asked.
"Yeah, Tonks, what other tongue trick could Harry possibly know?" Angelina smirked.
Next to her, the Weasley twins waggled their eyebrows suggestively. Harry watched as the realization dawned in Hermione's eyes, and her cheeks went just as red as Dora's.
"Nothing," Dora said, quickly turning back to her breakfast and focusing on her plate. "Forget I said anything."
"Oh, no. Now, I'm really curious," Angelina grinned. "Care to share with the class, Harry?"
"After seeing how much trouble I almost got in, absolutely not," he said.
"Must be some trick to make Tonksy blush like that," One of the twins grinned.
To his left, the other twin jumped. A pained hiss left his lips as he raised his leg and rubbed his shin.
"Oi, what was that for!" he yelled. "Fred said it!"
"Ah!" Fred yelped suddenly.
Raising his leg onto the bench, he rubbed his shin as Dora glared at him.
"Don't call me Tonksy," she glowered.
"Seems like you need to use that tongue trick a bit more often," George muttered.
He yelped and brought his other leg up onto the bench, and a moment later, Fred did the same. They grumbled to themselves and rubbed their shins under Dora's glare.
Later in the day, as Charms was coming to an end and students began filing out of the classroom, Harry stayed behind.
"Professor Flitwick, do you have a minute?" he asked.
"Of course, Mr. Potter," Flitwick smiled, climbing the stack of books to sit at his desk. "What can I do for you?"
Harry slouched in the chair across from him.
"Hypothetically, if I wanted to stop something big and heavy, what spell would I use?"
"Ah," Flitwick said, his eyes glinting knowingly. "Hypothetically, there are a wide variety of spells you could use. It all depends on exactly how big the object is and what it's made of. I'd recommend Halbert's Advanced Charms for the Discerning Wizard."
"Thanks," Harry said. "And, hypothetically, if I needed to protect myself from fire?"
"You might want to check Among the Fire and Flames by Agnus Bittle," he smiled. "That should lead you in the right direction. If you find a specific spell you need help with, I'd be happy to provide assistance."
"Right," Harry smiled, pushing himself to his feet. "Thanks, Professor.
"Anytime, Mr. Potter."
Harry made his way down to dinner before he and Dora retreated to the library for the evening. In addition to the books Flitwick suggested, they scoured the shelves for any books that would help him tackle a dragon.
They weren't as helpful as they'd hoped. Every book they came across recommended at least a dozen highly trained witches and wizards to take on a dragon. The writers seemed to think facing a dragon alone was a suicide mission and merely suggested making sure your affairs were in order before attempting it.
Fortunately, the books contained enough spells that he and Tonks were able to cobble together a rough plan to contain the dragon for a time. After their research, they didn't think the tournament organizers were crazy enough to task them with killing a dragon singlehandedly, but without more information, they didn't know precisely what the task would be until just before it started.
Harry and Dora created a list of spells he would need to learn for the task and decided to call it a night. As Harry was putting away some of the books he didn't need, he looked up and spotted a title that sparked his interest.
Dragon Riders of the Middle Ages
Plucking the book from the shelf, he looked around to make sure Dora wasn't in sight and quickly stuffed it in his bag.
Together, they headed back to the Ilvermorny train for the night. They spent a couple of hours doing homework before heading to the room they now shared. Harry came out of the bathroom dressed for bed and spotted Dora sitting at the edge of the bed, looking unusually pensive.
"You okay?" he asked.
Dora looked up and bit her lip.
"Yeah."
"Are you worried about the task?"
"No," she said, then shook her head quickly. "I mean, I am, but that's not what's bothering me. I feel like I owe you an apology for the way I acted this morning."
"What?" Harry asked, confused. "You mean about the thing with Hermione? It's fine. I thought it was pretty funny."
"It was," Dora said, smiling briefly. "But I feel bad my first thought was that you would cheat on me. I know you wouldn't. And, well, it got me thinking about something."
"Like what?" he asked.
"Something I've always wanted to try but was too nervous until now," she said as she stood, then sternly added, "Just don't forget it's still me in here."
She closed her eyes and scrunched up her face. Her face and body shifted as her hair grew and darkened until Harry was staring at Hermione Granger.
"Whoa," he said, his eyes widening.
"What do you think?" Dora asked, the sexy, teasing smirk looking out of character on Hermione's face.
She held her arms out to the side and spun around. Harry had only ever seen Hermione in her Hogwarts uniform, which left much to the imagination. Dora was wearing a tight T-shirt and a pair of thin cotton pants, giving him a much better look at her body. Hermione was thin, and her bust was small compared to what Dora usually wore, but as she spun around, his eyes fell on her surprisingly thick, round bum.
"She's got a nice ass," Harry smiled.
Climbing to his feet, he wrapped his arms around Dora's waist and pulled her close. He focused on her eyes and tried to ignore the face they were attached to. While Dora could change the shape and color of her eyes at will, Harry was certain he'd always be able to tell it was her by the way she looked at him.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
"No, but I want to give it a try," Dora admitted. "I mean, I change myself all the time."
"Yeah, but not into other people," Harry said. "The closest we've come to this is that time you turned yourself into Princess Jasmin, and I got to play Alladin."
"That was fun," Dora smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Let's just give it a try."
"Alright," Harry shrugged.
Pulling her close, he kissed her passionately and slipped his hands down to her ass. Dora had shifted her body into countless shapes since they'd started sleeping together, and he'd had the pleasure of groping every ass imaginable, but something about knowing that he was groping the ass of a girl that was real, that he had talked to just a couple of hours ago, made the moment substantially more exciting.
Dora moaned against his lips as his hands kneaded her ass and pulled her against him, grinding his rising excitement against her firm thigh.
A thought occurred to him, and he suddenly pulled back. Before Dora could question him, he spun her around and pulled her back flush against his chest, his excitement sandwiched between her plush cheeks as Dora blinked at their reflection in the full-length mirror attached to the wall.
Harry wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her next. Watching her expression closely, he grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged upwards. Dora readily lifted her arms, and they both watched as her – or perhaps Hermione's, Harry wasn't quite sure how to think of it – upper body was exposed. Dora's eyes glimmered with excitement as he slid his hands up her stomach and cupped her small, pert breasts. She gasped when his fingers traced the small, reddish-brown but perfectly circular areolas surrounding her short, fat, crinkled nipples.
They were quite nice. Though small, they were perky, bouncy mounds that fit her thin frame beautifully. But it did raise a question in Harry's mind.
"Hermione's got nice tits," he remarked, giving them a soft squeeze. "But is that what they really look like?"
"I had to guess a bit," Dora admitted, nibbling her bottom lip in a very Hermione-like fashion. "I won't know exactly what she looks like unless I see her naked."
Harry throbbed excitedly against her ass.
"Now, there's a thought," he grinned.
Dora gasped when he took her nipples between his fingers and rolled them gently. Her eyes gleamed, following his right hand as it trailed down her body and came to rest between her legs. For the first time since they'd faced the mirror, her eyes closed briefly as she tilted her head back and moaned.
"How about we show Hermione that tongue trick," he whispered.
Harry kissed her neck and let go of her. Walking over to the nightstand, he picked up his wand and brandished it at the mirror. With a few precise flicks and a wave, he created a duplicate, levitated it above the bed, and stuck it to the ceiling. Dora was staring up at it curiously when Harry lifted her up and tossed her on the bed. He grinned as he hooked his fingers under the waistband of her pajama pants and panties. They came free with a tug, sliding down her long, muscular legs.
Harry's eyes fell on her groin. Dora normally kept her mound completely bald, but now there was a small, trimmed, triangular patch of curly brown hair. Her slit was also missing the small lips that he was used to. Instead, there was just a pair of taut folds.
Crawling onto the bed, he kissed his way up the inside of her thigh and glanced up at her face. Doar wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were riveted to the mirror on the ceiling. Harry smirked against her soft skin as he laid down on his stomach between her legs and peppered her mound with kisses. He planned to tease her a bit, but he could already see how excited she was. Arousal glistened on her tight folds as it leaked from between her hidden lips.
Dora gasped when he placed a kiss directly on her heated petals. Her fingers threaded through his hair as he slipped his tongue in between and traced it from bottom to top, flicking her swollen clit as he passed. Harry glanced up at her as he worked. She remained staring at the mirror, her perky breasts wobbling slightly as she thrust them into the air.
He reached up to cup one and toyed with the thick, hardened nipple as he lazily explored her folds.
It didn't take long before she started tugging at his hair, impatiently guiding his probing tongue toward her throbbing clit. Playfully, he avoided it until her grip became painful, and a desperate whine left her lips. Pressing his tongue to the swollen nub, he ungulated it slowly.
Dora gasped and then released a long, low moan. Her hips bucked off of the mattress, and Harry released her breast to hold them down with his arms. Extending his tongue, he placed it flat against her clit, pictured a snake, and hissed. The tip vibrated wildly as he recited the history of the Golbin War of 1789. Dora arched her back, writhing her hips wildly against his face. Harry held on to her thighs tightly while continuing to lash at her folds. Her arousal flooded his tongue and dripped down his chin.
A low, guttural moan left her lips as her legs began to tremble. With a gasp, her body jerked. She clutched his head to her leaking core as she whined and whimpered before suddenly forcing him away. Harry sat back and wiped his chin with a smirk as Dora writhed through the rest of her climax. It was incredibly hot to see the body of the normally up-tight Hermione Granger thrash around so wantonly.
Feeling his erection pulse with need, he stripped out of his clothes and crawled over to Dora. He leaned down and claimed her soft lips before sitting back and maneuvering her until she sat on her hands and knees, facing the mirror on the wall. Harry pressed his throbbing erection against her ass, sandwiching it between her firm, muscular cheeks.
His eyes met Dora's in the mirror, and they maintained eye contact as he slowly pulled his hips back and lined himself up with her entrance. He watched, fascinated, as his engorged head split open her taut folds. They stretched obscenely around his girth as he sank into her slinging depths. His attention was drawn back to the mirror when Dora moaned, her face flushed and eyes riveted to the reflection.
Grinning, Harry gave her ass a quick spank and thrust his hips. His hands mauled her firm cheeks as he spread them open to watch himself slide in and out of her tight crevice. Arousal glistened wetly on his shaft.
Eventually, he glanced back up at the mirror and caught Dora's eyes. Her pupils were dilated, her cheeks flushed, and her breath came in heavy pants. Gathering her thick, bushy mane, Harry tossed it over her right shoulder while leaning over the left. He pressed against her back, creating as much contact as possible. One hand slid up her torso to cup her breast as he met her eyes and kissed her neck and shoulder tenderly.
"Hermione looks hot getting fucked, doesn't she?" he whispered.
Dora moaned and closed her eyes as a tremble ran down her spine. When she opened them again, they bore into his with a burning passion.
"Fuck her harder," she panted huskily.
Harry smiled and sucked roughly at her pulse point before straightening up. Sliding his hands over her ass, he gripped the swell of her hips, just below her thin waist. He pulled back until just his swollen tip remained trapped in her moist heat and then surged forward, the impact of his hips causing her muscular cheeks to ripple and bounce. Dora cried out as he set a furious pace, filling the room with the loud, wet smack of skin against skin.
Her hands gripped the sheets so tightly that her knuckles turned white as her body jolted to the beat of his thrusts. Despite that, her eyes never left the mirror. Harry could see her eyes taking in every detail, from her bouncing breasts to her rippling cheeks to the faces she made. Her eyes met his briefly, and when they did, her entire body shuddered as she released a long, low groan.
It was all too much.
"I'm close," Harry grunted. "Where do you want me to cum?"
Dora panted and paused for so long he thought she might now answer.
"Face," she gasped.
He groaned and almost erupted right then but managed to yank himself free of her clutching depths swiftly. Dora crawled forward, jumped off the bed, and knelt in front of the mirror. Harry followed her and stopped slightly to the side so he wasn't blocking her view.
He wished she would look up at him, but she was too enthralled by the reflection. Stroking himself furiously, he erupted with a groan. White streaks splattered across her face. One side got more than the other, and some clung to her long, curly hair because of the angle he was at.
It wasn't until he finished and stepped back that he realized Dora was pleasuring herself manically. Her perky breasts jiggled as her arm moved wildly. He could hear how unbelievably aroused she was as she stared, open-mouthed and panting at her reflection. In moments, she brought herself to a screaming climax. Her body bucked uncontrollably, arousal dripping on the floor as she rode out her peak.
Harry's spent length gave a throb, valiantly trying to rise to the occasion. As Dora knelt on the floor, panting and spent, he caressed the top of her head.
After a quick shower to clean off, they crawled into bed, still naked. Dora, back to her usual look, laid her head on Harry's chest and closed her eyes tiredly.
"That was fun," she said. "But just so we're clear, this doesn't give you permission to fuck Hermione. Or anyone else."
"I know."
"Good. I like your dick. I'd hate to have to cut it off."
Harry chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head. He waited until a faint whistle came from her nose, a sure sign that she was asleep, before reaching over the side of the bed and pulling Dragon Riders of the Middle Ages out of his bag. Using one hand, he awkwardly flipped it open and began to read, a smile rapidly growing on his face.
Chapter 24
"Listen up!" Moody shouted. "We're done going over basic shield charms. If you still haven't got it, practice on your own time. And yes, Granger, it will be on the test."
Harry smirked as Hermione sheepishly lowered her hand.
"Next week, we'll be studying ways to block more powerful spells, including the Unforgivables," he growled. "Read Chapter Seventeen in your textbooks this weekend. Class dismissed. Potter, stay behind."
Harry sighed and waited for the classroom to clear out before approaching Moody's desk. The grizzled Auror dropped into his chair heavily and sighed.
"You figured out the first task yet?" he asked.
"I know it involves dragons, but I don't know exactly what they want us to do," Harry said.
"Good," Moody nodded. "What's your plan?"
"It's hard to come up with a solid plan if I don't know what I'm supposed to do," Harry shrugged. "Dora and I have been looking for ways to hide from it, distract it, and restrain it."
"Not a bad idea," Moody grunted, removing his wooden leg and resting it up against the desk. "You need help with anything?"
"Not yet," Harry said, shaking his head. "I only started looking into it yesterday."
"Well, if you need help, my door is always open."
Moody pointed his wand at the door, and it slowly swung open. Taking that as his dismissal, Harry nodded, shouldered his bag, and stepped out into the hall. Hermione was waiting for him, leaning her back against the wall.
"You're not in trouble again, are you?" she asked.
"Not this time," Harry grinned.
They made their way down to the hall, and when they reached the corridor, Dora broke away from her friends and joined them.
"Do you want to go to the library again after dinner?" she asked, looping her arm around his.
"I think it would be better to practice spells for a couple of hours first," he suggested. "No point in looking up all these spells if I don't learn any."
Dora nodded while Hermione titled her head curiously.
"What spells are you learning this time?" she asked.
"Just some stuff to prepare for the First Task," Harry said.
"Do you mind if I watch?" she asked.
Harry caught Dora's eyes and smirked.
"That seems fair."
She pinched the inside of his arm, but Harry gritted his teeth against the pain and grinned unrepentantly. As they passed by one of the courtyards, he spotted Fleur and a few of her friends standing in a corner, talking in hushed tones. His feet slowed unconsciously, and he wondered if they were talking about the First Task. Not far away, he spotted Cedric sitting on a bench. He smiled and laughed, carefree.
"I'll be right back," Harry said.
Kissing Dora on the cheek, he slipped from her loose grasp and walked purposefully into the courtyard. Several heads turned to look at him curiously, but he ignored them.
"Hey, Fleur, you got a second?" he asked.
She nodded, and as she turned to her friends while Harry turned around, stuck two fingers in his mouth, and whistled loudly.
"Hey, Cedric!" he shouted and waved him over.
Cedric looked at him curiously as he got to his feet. Harry led them both over to an empty corner under the shade of a large tree.
"So, either of you been out to Forbidden Forest lately?" he asked.
Fleur quirked her lips and nodded while Cedric looked confusedly between them.
"Can't say that I have," he said. "Why? Did I miss something?"
"Dragons," Harry said. "Three of them. One for each of us."
Cedric's eyes widened, and his face paled drastically. He quickly turned to Fleur for confirmation.
"Oui, eet's true," she said. "Madame Maxime showed zem to me last night."
"Dragons!?" Cedric whispered hoarsely. "They want us to fight dragons!?"
"I don't think we have to kill them," Harry said. "We probably just have to get past them or something."
"Oh, great," Cedric muttered sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better."
"Sorry," Harry shrugged.
Cedric waved off his apology.
"Bloody hell," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks for the warning, Potter. I can't believe they weren't going to tell us."
"Don't mention it," Harry smiled. "I kind of found out by accident, so I figured if I go down for cheating, I might as well take the two of you down with me."
Fleur giggled, and Cedric snorted and shook his head.
"Now zat we all know, may ze best man win," Fleur said.
With a wave, she turned and rejoined her friends. As a group, they turned and left the courtyard. Smiling, Harry patted Cedric on the shoulder and made his way back over to Dora and Hermione.
"From the look on Cedric's face, you told him about the dragons?" Dora asked.
Harry nodded as Hermione turned to them with a startled look.
"Dragons!?"
Harry spent the next week training relentlessly for the First Task – so much so that he stopped working on his class assignments, much to Hermione's horror.
The biggest issue he faced, by far, was finding a way to protect himself from the dragon's fire. In their search of the library, they couldn't find a single spell capable of stopping it. So, instead, Harry focused on Transfigurations. He found a spell that made the earth flow like water and then solidify into any shape he desired. It was mainly used for landscaping, but among their books, they found an account of a wizard using it to protect himself from a rogue dragon.
Even with Professor Turner's help, it was an intensely difficult spell to learn, and there just wasn't enough time for him to master it. In practice, Harry could only create piles of rock and dirt in the shape of waves pulled straight from the ocean, but it would be enough to shield him temporarily.
On the day of the task, the Great Hall buzzed with excitement while Harry tried to hide his nerves. Dora clung to him tightly, her hand barely leaving his long enough to let him eat. She insisted on accompanying him to the tent, and for once, Professor McGonagall relented without a fight. They walked down to the arena silently, hand-in-hand, and paused outside the door. Wordlessly, Dora hugged him firmly, her head resting on his shoulder.
As they embraced, the others arrived and slipped inside one by one. Fleur was the last to enter. She paused as if she wanted to say something but gave up and settled for giving them a forced, nervous smile before disappearing through the flap.
Knowing their time was at an end, Dora stepped back, grabbed the front of his robes, and pulled him down for a steamy, demanding kiss.
"If you make it out of this in one piece, I'll turn into Fleur and let you fuck her as hard as you want," she whispered.
Harry stared into her worried gaze as he smiled softly and gave her one last lingering kiss.
"I'll be fine," he promised. "I'll see you soon."
As he turned to enter the tent, she held onto his hand as long as she could, until his fingers slipped from her grasp. Everyone turned to face him, and Harry fixed a grin on his face, even as anxiety well in his chest.
"Ah, Harry!" Bagman said cheerily. "Fantastic! We can begin. Now, what was I supposed to say?"
Crouch huffed in annoyance and tugged at his suit jacket.
"The egg," he prompted.
"Ah, right!" Bagman exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Of course, how could I forget? Your task is to steal a Golden Egg from the nest of a mother dragon."
He paused for dramatic effect but failed to get a reaction. The silence pressed on until Crouch cleared his throat loudly.
"The bag," he said, glaring at the back of Bagman's balding head.
"Right," Bagman said.
He perked back up as he pulled a leather pouch from the pocket of his robes. Something inside it moved as he loosened the drawstring at the top.
"No, then, time to choose your dragon," he smiled excitedly. "Ladies first, if you would, Ms. Delacour."
Nervously, Fleur reached into the bag and pulled out a closed fist. When she opened it, a tiny green looked up at her and hissed.
"The Common Welsh Green," Bagman said ominously.
Harry raised his hand to reach into the bag next, but Bagman swung past him and offered it to Cedric.
"Mr. Diggory."
Cedric looked startled momentarily, then steeled himself and reached into the bag. When he opened his fist, a blue dragon glared at him and let out a little roar.
"The Swedish Short-Snout," Bagman said before quickly turning to Harry and offering him the bag.
Harry reached inside and immediately grimaced when sharp teeth dug into his finger. Grabbing the tiny object tightly in revenge, he pulled it out and opened his hand. A scarlet and gold dragon unfurled its wings, and a jet of bright red and orange flames extended several inches from its mouth before the end bloomed outward.
"The Chinese Fireball," Bagman announced with a grin. "Now, your order has been determined by which dragon you chose. Mr. Diggory will be first, Ms. Delacour second, and finally, Mr. Potter. Any questions?"
"Where do we go once we 'ave ze egg?" Fleur asked.
"Oh, right! I nearly forgot!" Bagman exclaimed with a chuckle. "There's an exit on the other side of the arena; you can't miss it. We also have a team of trained dragon handlers on standby in case you get into trouble. If at any point you feel unable to continue, simply send up red sparks, and they'll come to your aid."
"We will, however, be forfeiting the task," Crouch added.
"Right, thank you, Barty," Bagman smiled. "Anything else? No? Then, we can begin. Mr. Diggory, you may begin at the sound of the canon."
Bagman and Crouch left while Madame Maime, Professor Sprout, and Professor Turner stayed back for a moment to wish their students good luck. Once they, too, had gone, Harry, Cedric, and Fleur stared at each other in tense silence before they all turned away. Harry lounged on a couch, trying to conserve his nervous energy for the task ahead. Cedric, meanwhile, paced back and forth, muttering under his breath, while Fleur set her model dragon down on an end table and glared at it thoughtfully.
The sound of an explosion caused them all to jump, and Cedric paled drastically. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face the entrance to the arena.
"Good luck," Harry called. "Try not to get, you know, eaten or anything."
Cedric looked over his shoulder and cracked a small smile.
"You, too, Potter."
Squaring his shoulders, he marched determinedly through the flap. Harry briefly heard the roar of the crowd before the flap fell back into place, and the tent was plunged into silence once more.
"I guess they don't want us to know what's happening," he sighed.
"Oui," Fleur said, still staring at her dragon.
A couple of minutes later, she turned away suddenly, marched over to the couch, and plopped down next to Harry with her arms folded over her chest.
"Zis wait is 'orrible," she said.
"I know," Harry said. "I'd rather just get it over with."
Fleur nodded, and they waited in companionable silence for several more minutes until the sound of the canon caused them both to jump. Nervously, Fleur climbed to her feet and straightened her robe.
"Good luck," Harry said sincerely.
She managed a small smile before turning suddenly and pulling him into a tight hug.
"You too," she whispered.
Harry returned the hug briefly, and he could feel her body shaking as she stepped back. He watched her close her eyes and gather herself before marching out of the tent with her head held high.
The wait was horrible. Harry's stomach tied itself in knots as he tried to get his nerves under control. He stood up, paced, sat back down, stood back up, poured a glass of water, took a single sip, and then paced again as he waited for the canon to sound again. When it did, he was once again startled.
"I hate that fucking thing," he grumbled.
Standing in front of the flap, he took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his wand, and strode forward. The bright light of the sun blinded him, and the moment he set foot outside, AC/DC's Shoot to Thrill blasted through the arena. Harry blinked his eyes and looked around. Surprisingly, it didn't take him long to spot Dora's bright pink hair in the crowd. She cheered loudly among his classmates, holding a record player above her head.
"Our youngest Champion appears to have his own theme song," Bagman chortled on the microphone, his voice carrying through the arena.
Harry grinned and shot her a wave before he turned back to the arena. It was about the size of a Quidditch pitch and made of hard-packed dirt. Numerous large boulders were scattered around, and at the very end, he saw the scarlet and gold Chinese Fireball.
Pictures didn't do dragons justice, he decided. The thing was massive. It had to be fifty feet long, at least, with an even greater wing span. The bright red, armored scales along its back looked to be the size of frying pans, and they glittered in the sun. It eyed the cheering crowd nervously, and between its legs, Harry caught a glint. The Golden Egg sat in a nest with several other very large, very real dragon eggs. Finally, behind and to the right of the dragon, he spotted the exit, where two dragon handlers waited, wands ready.
Casting his eyes about, Harry nodded to himself. Yeah, he could work with this. With his head bobbing to the music, he charged forward.
The dragon turned its attention away from the crowd and glared menacingly as he ran forward. Moving protectively in front of her nest, she roared loudly.
"Potter isn't wasting any time!" Bagman announced loudly. "He's charging straight at the dragon. This could be dangerous. I hope he has a plan."
Harry continued running closer until he saw the dragon open its mouth. At the first sight of flames, he turned sharply and ducked behind a large boulder. The flames rushed past and exploded outwards. A wave of unbearable heat washed over him, forcing him to cover his face with his robes. It vanished a moment later, but the dragon's fire was much hotter than he'd anticipated.
Fortunately, he did have a plan. He would lure the dragon close while using the rocks for protection. When it was away from the nest, he would use a Binding Charm to hold it in place long enough to grab the egg and run for the exit.
Peaking around the edge of the boulder, he raised his wand and froze.
The thick iron chain holding the dragon in place with a giant collar jangled mockingly as it turned and spewed fire in his direction. Harry ducked back behind the boulder and covered his face with his robes.
"Fuck!" he yelled in frustration.
Hunkering down behind the boulder, he thought quickly. His landscaping spell was practically useless. Against that kind of heat for any prolonged amount of time, he'd roast in an oven of his own making. Fighting it was out of the question, and he was too close and too visible to try and distract it. His only option was to get it away from the eggs long enough to grab the one he needed, but for that, he needed to get rid of that chain.
Harry took a deep breath, popped back around the edge of the boulder, and unleashed a powerful Breaking Charm. He had just enough time to watch one of the links shatter into a dozen pieces before he was forced to duck back from another gout of flames.
"Oh dear!" Bagman cried. "It looks like Potter accidentally hit the chain with that spell!"
The ground rumbled under Harry's feet as the dragon walked closer. He moved to the other side of the boulder, peeked out, and sent a Blasting Hex at the dragon. It exploded harmlessly against its thick scales, but it roared furiously and spewed searing flames in his direction. Moving back to the other side, Harry hit it again. Then back to the other side and hit it again.
He felt like he was playing a deadly game of Whack-A-Mole, but the dragon came no closer.
"Oh, come on!" Harry yelled after his fifth attempt.
The dragon screeched angrily, remaining firmly planted between him and her eggs.
He knew he needed a new plan and cast his eyes around the arena as he wracked his brain for ideas. And then he spotted the massive, slanted boulder right next to the dragon. The far end was just a couple of feet tall, while the other end stood over twenty feet high right over the dragon's back.
Immediately, his mind turned to Dragon Riders of the Middle Ages. He hadn't planned to try and ride the thing. Not really. But with his plan in shambles, it felt like fate was tempting him. And how many people could say they rode a dragon?
"Dora's going to kill me," he muttered to himself.
But even that thought did nothing to dissuade him from the idea.
With a wave of his wand, Harry created a wall of rock and dirt between the boulder he was hiding behind and the slanted boulder closer to the dragon. The dragon eyed it suspiciously and began to move in that direction, but before it could get far, Harry popped around the other side of the boulder and fired off another Explosive Hex. It whirled around and fired off another jet of flames. Hiding behind his raised robe, Harry waited until they died, fired off another Hex, and then immediately sprinted along the wall he'd created to the other boulder.
The roar of the crowd and the rush of flames covered his footsteps as he safely reached his destination. Cautiously, he climbed onto the boulder, crept to the top, and peered over the edge. The dragon was still looking at the other boulder and had no idea he was now above it. Taking a deep breath, and before he could talk himself out of it, Harry planted his foot on the edge and jumped.
As the wind whipped past his ears, he quickly used a spell he'd practiced only a few times in secret, conjuring a rudimentary harness and reins. They formed just as he landed painfully on the dragon's back. He barely had time to register the pain in his testicles before the dragon roared and bucked. Harry held on for dear life as it tried to shake him off.
"Great Scott, I think he's trying to tame it!" Bagman shouted.
The dragon stumbled around the arena, moving the massive boulders it bumped into and destroying his conjured wall with a single stomp. Slowly but surely, it moved further from the nest. Once it was far enough away, Harry could jump off, restrain it, and-
With a single flap of its wings, it took to the air. Harry gripped the reins tightly as he watched the arena shrink below him. Despite his fear, he could stop the elation that swelled within him.
He was the first person in living memory to ride a dragon.
"WOOO!" he shouted.
And then the dragon turned and dove down toward the Forbidden forest.
"Shit!"
Harry flattened himself against the dragon's back and closed his eyes. They crashed through the top of the trees. Branches snapped all around him. The longer, thinner ones that didn't whip painfully against his body.
The dragon cut a wide swath through the treetops before it let out a roar and pulled up sharply. Harry tightened his grip on the reins and grunted with the effort it took to hold on. His feet kicked at the dragon's back as he tried to find purchase on the harness. Just as the dragon's upward climb stalled, he managed to wedge his feet between the straps of the harness and its body.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, his position more secure, and then his stomach plummeted as they fell towards the ground. Wrapping the reigns around his hands, he heaved backward with the full weight of his body.
"Pull up!" he shouted.
The dragon's wings caught the air just feet from the ground. They soared around the edge of the cliff upon which Hogwarts was built. All the while, the dragon lurched and twisted, trying to throw him off. Harry held on tightly, the reins cutting into his hands and his feet digging under its scales. On one particularly forceful lurch, he looked past the dragon's head and saw the covered bridge getting dangerously close.
His eyes widened, and he yanked on the reins. The dragon just roared furiously and pumped its mighty wings. Harry was preparing himself for a painful collision when he heard a familiar cry. Levina appeared from the other side of the bridge and perched on the top with a threatening screech. The dragon pulled up at the last second, but its tail still took out a section of the room, sending Levina back into the air. She appeared beside Harry a moment later, eyeing him worriedly.
"Lead it back to the arena!" he yelled.
The Thunderbird flapped her wings and overtook the dragon with ease. It roared, spewing a jet of flames from its mouth. Harry screamed a warning, but it was lost in the rush of wind and the roar of the fire. Levina twisted out of the way, looked back over her shoulder, and screeched angrily.
The dragon chased after her furiously as they soared back toward the arena. As they got closer to the ground, it flew even faster. Harry quickly realized that the dragon was so fixated on Levina that it wasn't concerned with how close the ground was getting. He yanked at the reins as they passed over the crowd, but it was useless.
Levina flared her brilliant white wings and leveled out feet from the ground. The dragon flapped furiously to stop itself, but it was too late. They crashed into the ground with such force that Harry was thrown from its back. He hit the ground hard and rolled for several yards before coming to a stop.
A surge of adrenaline numbed the pain and pushed him to his feet. The dragon was dazed but recovering quickly as he whipped his wand forward. Harry grunted with effort as thick, iron chains burst from the tip and wound around its body like a snake. The dragon roared and rolled, trying to free itself, but the chains only squeezed tighter.
Knowing they wouldn't hold for long, he turned and sprinted for the nest. The sound of snapping metal and a terrible roar filled the arena as he scooped up the egg and made for the exit as fast as his legs could carry him. The dragon handlers passed him on his way through the gate, wands raised.
"And he's done it!" Bagman shouted. "What a performance from our youngest Champion."
Harry skidded to a stop just past the gate and found himself in an infirmary built under the stands. There were only three cots, and two of them were occupied. Fleur and Cedric sat up to look at him. Fleur had a white bandage wrapped around her left thigh, starting at her knee and disappearing under her skirt, while Cedric had thick, orange paste covering half of his face.
"Hey," Harry said, panting heavily.
Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue and pointed to the empty cot to Fleur's left.
"Bed," she barked.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Harry walked over and collapsed tired onto the cot.
"Dragons."
Pomfrey shook her head disapprovingly and waved her wand over him. Grabbing a goblet of water from the stand next to the bed, he drained half of it in three gulps.
"Well, you seem to be fine besides a few minor bumps and bruises," Pomfrey said. "You three rest while I go speak with the judges."
She left through a door on the other side of the room, and Harry turned to Fleur and Cedric with a grin.
"So, how'd it go for you two?" he asked.
"Not as spectacular as yours," Cedric smiled. "I transfigured some rocks into sheep to distract the dragon and then Disillusioned myself to sneak over to the nest. It worked pretty well until the dragon tried to eat one. It burned my face before I got out of there, but Pomfrey says I'll be right as rain in a few days."
"What about you?" Harry asked Fleur.
"I used a charm to put the dragon to sleep and took ze egg," she said, her lips quirking up smugly.
"How'd you get burned?" Harry asked, nodding toward her bandaged leg.
She frowned and looked away from him to stare at her injured leg.
"I did not know dragons snore," she said.
Harry snorted and then tried to stifle his laugh when she glared at him. He was saved from her ire when Madam Pomfrey returned.
"The judges would like you to return to the arena for your scores," she said.
Harry shared a look with Cedric and Fleur before they all got to their feet and walked back through the entrance they'd come in. The stands burst into applause as they turned around and looked up at the judges.
"Thank you. Thank you," Dumbledore said, causing the crowd to quiet down. "An excellent performance from all of our Champions. Now, it is time for your scores. We have all conferred, and out of a possible fifty points, in third place is… Mr. Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts!"
The cheer was subdued, and while Cedric looked disappointed, he didn't look upset as he waved.
"While we were impressed with his use of transfigurations and the Disillusionment Charm, we agreed that his plan was lacking, and he sustained the worst injuries," Dumbledore said. "However, it accomplished the task, so we award you forty-two points."
The applause was a bit louder this time but quieted quickly.
"In second place… Mr. Harry Potter of Ilvermorny!"
Harry smiled and waved as the crowd cheered. Fleur caught his eye and gave him a tiny smirk.
"We were impressed by his use of spells and the sheer audacity of riding a dragon," Dumbledore smiled. "While his plan was certainly the most entertaining, we believe it was also needlessly risky, and while he was the least injured, he also took the longest to complete the task and caused the most damage."
He paused momentarily, his eyes twinkling as the crowd laughed.
"We award you forty-five points."
The crowd cheered again, and for the first time, he realized the Ilvermorny section was larger than he expected.
"And, finally, in first place, we have Ms. Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons!"
The Beauxbatons section exploded with cheers, and Fleur smiled, her shoulders straight and head held high.
"Yes, well done," Dumbledore smiled. "Her plan was elegant in its simplicity, and her mastery of the Sleeping Charm was impressive. She was injured in the attempt. However, we believe that to be a simple case of bad luck. She was also the fastest to complete the task. As a result, we award you forty-six points!"
Harry and Cedric clapped along with the crowd as Fleur smiled proudly.
"Well done to all of you," Dumbledore said after a long moment. "The Second Task will take place on January the twenty-fourth. Your clue to what it will be is contained within your eggs. I wish the best of luck to all of you."
The crowd applauded lightly, and the Champions turned to leave when Dumbledore stopped them.
"Just as a final note, to celebrate the completion of the First Task, a party will be held in the Great Hall. All guests and visitors are invited."
The crowd cheered again, and Harry, Cedric, and Fleur left the arena. As soon as they stepped outside, Dora leapt into Harry's arms, wrapping herself around him.
"You did it!" she screamed.
He hugged her back, and his smile turned into a grin when he spotted Michelle and Jenna a short distance away.
"Hey, you made it!" he said, setting Tonks on her feet.
"Dora's parents sent me a Portkey," Michelle smiled.
Turning to Dora, Harry kissed her briefly and then wrapped an arm around her and Michelle's shoulders.
"Come on, we have a party to get to, and there's someone I want you to meet."